Abdominal support.



No. 882,188. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908.

V. V. DA VIDS.

ABDOMINAL SUPPORT. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 29, 1904.

A 0, TH: NORRIS Ps'rsks co., wAsmuoroN. n

UNITED STATES VALLEY V. DAVIDS,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ABDOMINAL SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 17, 1908.

Application filed August 29, 1904. Serial No. 222,494.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VALLEY V. DAVIDS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Abdominal Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in certain improve ments in the construction, form and arrange ment of the several parts of an abdominal support so that the abdomen of the wearer will be supported in the correct manner, viz; by an upward pressure rather than by an inward pressure commonly and erroneously applied by abdominal supports in common use.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in plan view my improved abdominal support laid out in a flat position with its ends separated, and Fig. 2 is a detail horizontal section through the lower portion of the front member of the support.

The support comprises a front member 1 and back members 2 and 3 permanently united at the top of the support. In the present instance I have shown the top of the belt as bound by tape 4. The members 1, 2 and 3 are formed of flexible non elastic material.

A V-shaped notch is formed in the support by leading the adjacent walls of the front and back members diagonally downward away from each other to the bottom of the support. These notches are supplied with elastic gores, such gores, in the present instance, being composed of a plurality of elastic bands 5 gradually decreasing in length from the bottom of the support toward the top thereof. This plurality of bands which forms each elastic gore permits a more ready adjustment of the support to the different positions of the body of the wearer. The bottom edges of the front and back members may be provided with a binding tape 6 for presenting a smooth finish and for reinforcing the members at these points.

Perineal straps 7 and 8 are provided for holding the support down in its operative position. The ends of the strap 7 are re movably secured to the front member 1 and back member 2 in the present instance by button and button-hole connections 9 and 10. The perineal strap 8 is removably connected to the front and back members 1 and 3 by button and button-hole connections 11 and 12. The buttons 10 and 12 on the back members 2 and 3 are located adjacent to the inner lower corners of these members. The buttons 9 and 11 on the front member are located upon opposite sides of its center line ad acent to its bottom.

The lower portion of the front member 1 of the support is reinforced so as to present a stifl supporting surface in the present instance by providing a plurality of vertically disposed stifleners 13, which stiffeners may be interposed between the front and back faces of the members and sewed throughout their length thereto. In the present instance I have shown siX of these vertical stiffeners but it is to be understood that a greater or lesser number may be employed for properly producing the effect desired. These stiffeners 13 are curved outwardly or bowed between their ends so as to form a shallow pocket in the front member 1 of the support for causing the front member to more snugly engage the abdomen of the wearer.

A vertical stiffening tape 14 extends from the top to the bottom of the front member 1 of the support for preventing the vertical distortion of the said member. The free ends of the back members 2 and 3 of the support may be removably connected as, for instance, by laces 15.

The support constructed as herein described fits around the body of the wearer in such a manner that the front member 1 is located well beneath the abdomen while the back portions 2 and 3 extend up toward the small of the back thus giving a lifting effect to the front member 1 rather than an inward binding effect to the same. This is a very important feature in my invention as it produces the correct supporting effect. Furthermore, it will be noted that the elastic gores at the sides of the support do not extend entirely through the support from the bottom to the top thereof but that there is a permanent connection between the front and back members at the to This also is an important feature in my support. It will also be noted that when the lower portion of the front member 1 of the support is reinforced by the stiffeners it leaves the up er partof the member in its original fleXib e non-elastic condition.

hat I claim is An abdominal support comprising nonelastic flexible front and back members united at the top of the support to form a of the support. I

flexible non elastic upper portion, elasticv for preventing the Vertical distortion of said gores interposed between portions of the member. I

front and back members, means for connect- In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as ing the free ends of the backmembers, bowed my invention, I have signed my name in 15 stiffeners locatedin the lower portion only of presence of two witnesses, this 12th day of the front member to form a shallow rein- August 1904.

forced pocket therein, the upper portion of the front member being left in its original flexible non-elastic condition and a vertically disposed stiffening tape connecting the top and bottom edges of the front member VALLEY v.1)Av1ns Witnesses FREDK. HAYNES, HENRY THIEME. 

